《Ashes of a fallen World》


 Chapter 1

    Genevieve was sitting in the wide window, she was not worried about her dropping twenty stories towards the ground. She knew that her balance was good, not as good as it used to be. Tears stung in her eyes, something that happened a lot lately. Especially when she thought about her old life, the last city she called home. Her gaze went aimlessly over the buildings that stretch out before and under her, it was another city. How knew? Apparently Rycharde Erewaker did, he left Benevolence just before shit hit the fan. Before Justin took over, before Justin used the Freedom Fighters as his own personal army. Before she was forced to see everyone she loved die, her crew, friends, her adoptive parents. Although she never saw them die, she heard their screams, she could hear Allia fight for her live when Justin did his worst to her. The police and some freedom fighters that were on Justin''s side were holding her down, which was a wise decision. Because she had killed Justin then and there. She swallowed the vile taste that crept into her mouth away, it was blood mixed with her hatred for the man. Her mind banned the thoughts of him, and let it again wonder towards the city that she saw right before her eyes. All the buildings that she was able to see were covered with plants, which was a fresh breath of air. No pun intended, but plants were rare in Benevolence. There were some trees in the more wealthy districts of the city, but the rest of the city was covered in neon lights. Her hand went towards the wound, or where the wound had being. It was healed up now, although it had left a nasty scare, no more crop tops for her. Unless she wanted to explain the scar every time someone saw it.


    "Yeah, I got that one when I was forced to fight the man I once loved. No, he was the commander of the Freedom fighters and I admired him. But then I discovered that he was the one we initially were fighting, and he had used us to do his dirty work."


    No, that wouldn''t be a fun opener for any type of conversation. Her gaze went down, the people down there would never understand her. Not that she would give them a change too, she was not even allowed to leave this apartment. She was not a citizen of this city, and after what happened in Benevolence, she doubted that the city council would ever expect her as one of them. She raised her hands, they seemed to be clean, but they were drenched in blood. Genevieve had killed a lot of people, in the name of freedom. No, that was not in the name of freedom, but back then she didn''t know that. Still, that was no excuse for the crimes she had committed. Funny enough, it was Justin that told her that a soldier was not allowed to make that kind of excuse. They all had a brain, and they needed to use it.


    "Ahh, I already thought that I would find you here." A deep voice behind her said. It didn''t scare her to hear it, this was his home, after all. "Wallowing in self-pity, as per usual." She turned her head to face him, by the wasteland, he looked so much like him.


    "What else can I do, old man." She said, with a low voice. She was not going to use his name, he lost that privilege when he left. "I have slept, eaten, trained, used the bathroom once or twice, and now all that I have left to do is wallow in the sad reality that is my life. Which I deserve, don''t you agree." She knew that he didn''t agree with that at all, he made that crystal clear.


    "I didn''t patch you up, for you to waste your life away." Rycharde snapped at her. "I know that legally aren''t allowed to leave this house, but that never stopped you before. Where is the Freedom Fighter I once knew?"


    "She was killed, she was killed by your son." she snapped back. "And now what is left of her, is done fighting." She climbed out of the window, and went towards the bed. "I am sorry that I turned out to be a huge disappointment." Genevieve knew that he didn''t see her in that way, he never had seen her in that way. But he knew her as the bright young girl, the girl that joined the Freedom fighter from the tender age of fifteen. Rycharde back then was the leader, and he placed her under Justin''s watch. He had trained her, taught her everything she knew about various type of combat and weapons. Her taught her how to hunt, harm and kill. All things she believed she needed to survive, but now she knew that he was grooming her into the perfect obedience tool.


    "I am sorry, Genevieve, I really am. But no one place a gun to your head when you joined, you wanted to be part of the Freedom Fighters." he said, and this was true. Nobody hold her at gunpoint. She let herself fall upon the soft mattress, it was softer than her last bed. Not that it reflected into her rest, her nights were hunted by the memories.


    "Not when I joined, but after you left. There was a gun placed to Meak''s and Allia''s heads so that I would stay. There was a gun to their heads when I was reluctant to kill, and trickers were pulled when I refused to do anything Justin wanted." she said. She looked up, and saw that his whole stance changed.


    "Did you..." he started to ask. He wanted to know if she was inside the room, or house when Justin killed her adoptive parents. She shook her head, no, Justin knew that it would break her.


    "I was pinned against the wall, just outside. I was forced to hear them scream, to hear the gun shot, to smell the scent of their blood. And after that I was forced to complete my mission, which was to kill another official." Genevieve replied. "I did, kill them, because now the guns were on the heads of my friends. My friends didn''t let me into the house, before the bodies of Meak and Allia were removed. They knew that they were next, they knew that if I placed one toe wrong that they wouldn''t see the next sunrise." Tears started to stream over her cheeks, her friend who in the end gave their lives for nothing.


    "What happened that night?" he asked. She bit her lip, it was not something she wanted to talk about. But there was no point of keeping him in the dark.


    "I was not able to complete a mission, Markus and the others knew that one of them would be killed because of it. So instead of waiting who was going to die, they attacked Justin and the men that were loyal to him. I couldn''t stand by and watch my friends fight, so I joined. Justin taught me well and in the end it was just him and me left standing. Everybody else was dead, of course Justin knew that there was no way that I would do his bidding after that. He tried to kill me, and he almost did. Only I was able to get a couple of blows in, which left him incapable to finish the job." Her lip started to quiver.


    "I taught you too well, it seems. Little Genevieve, look at you all grown up, the perfect soldier." Justin said with a chuckle. Blood was pouring out of his mouth. "But as usual, you didn''t think things through. Did you really think that I would let you live? No, I am going to burn this city. I am going to burn it all down, and there is nothing you could do about it. Nothing. You have failed, once again. If I were you, I would start running, maybe you are able to get out of the city in time." He chuckled again. "I doubt it, but you can try. You can try to keep that stupid promise."You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    "Genevieve, come back. You are not there, you are in Maraud. You are safe," the voice of Rycharde brought her back to the room. She was tired, so dammed tired. All she wanted to do now was sleep. The image of the dying Justin was still front and center, so she wouldn''t find must piece there. Still, she didn''t want to battle against sleep. "By the wasteland, I thought that I lost you."


    "In many ways than one, you did lose me." she replied, and then let her eyes fall shut. "I lost, I failed, I died." and sleep took her away.


    ********


    Rycharde closed the bedroom door behind him, just when Mychaell let himself drop on the sofa. Mychaell caught a glimpse of the girl that was hiding inside that room, her blazing red hair was difficult to miss. He wondered why Rycharde put up with that girls'' behavior, she was so different from the Freedom Fighter Rycharde talked so much about. Not that it mattered, actually it did. Currently, she was draining his mentor and leader emotionally dry. He had heard some bits and pieces over the weeks, and he knew that she didn''t have it easy. But that wasn''t an excuse, they all needed to do their part to survive.


    "Mycheall, I am not in the mood." that was all Rycharde had to say when he saw him. Normally, he would ask if he and his mates had eaten. But today he was not in the mood, no he was the last couple of weeks not in the mood. All because of that girl. Mycheall stood up. Rycharde walked over towards the open kitchen.


    "Well, neither am I. But we are going to have this conversation either way. You have being cooped up inside this apartment for weeks now, you haven''t been to the store once.You haven''t asked how things are going over there, either. Nor have you asked about how we, your Freedom Fighters, are doing. All that is on your mind right now is that girl, who hasn''t shown an inch of gratitude." Mychaell said loudly. "You haven''t been the same ever since we came back from Benevolence, since we saved that girl." Rycharde slammed his fist against the counter. Mychaell knew that this was a dangerous game, but still he was willing to play it. He took another gasp of air, ready to say everything that was weighting on his mind.


    "Enough," Rycharde said loudly. The old man''s cloudy gray eyes were burning with anger. "That girl lost more than you think. She was only fifteen when she joined the Freedom Fighters, she was fifteen when my son groomed her into his puppet. Her life was a grim and dark place when I left the city, she already lost her birth parents, but my son killed her adoptive parents. She lost her childhood, her innocence, her family, friends, the one she loved with all her heart, her home." Mychaell listened, he had lost a lot in his life. But not that much, he still had his friends, a place that he can call home. He had a job, that supported him and his needs. "And I lost my son, yes, he was an evil bastard. But he was still my flesh and blood. So I am mourning, Mychaell. And I am trying to be there for her, because I know for a fact that this all wouldn''t have happened if I stayed." Mychaell didn''t have anything to say about that, somehow he had forgotten that Rycharde had a son. A son that apparently had tormented the girl inside the other room.


    "I am going towards the shop," Mychaell said, he was not going to admit that he was wrong. Not out loud, at least. "But do not forget, she is not the only one that needs you." Which was a low blow, Mycheall stepped out. Derick, and Joshua, were waiting for him. Both were leaning against the wall.


    "And did you talk to him, it sounded like you did." Derick said, but Mychaell sighed.


    "Well, I laid it out for him, but he put me in my place. Still, this can''t go on, that girl needs to pull her weight. Like we all do." he said while making his way towards the stairs. "All what she does right now is sitting inside the window, eat, and sleep."


    "I agree with you man," Joshua said, of course he agreed with him. He himself had complained about the lack of guidance from Rycharde for a couple of days now.


    "I do too, but I understand her too." Derick chimed in, which was something Mychaell didn''t expect. "Just think of it, she is or was a Freedom Fighter. Just like us, and our main goal is to fight against corruption. But we all know what happened to her city, it is no longer there. So that means that she has failed her mission, she has lost the fight. I wouldn''t know how I would feel if that happened here." Mychaell narrowed his eyes, when they reached the bottom of the stairs. Why didn''t he think of that fact, Derick was the brains in their little group, that was not a secret. And he was right, he wouldn''t know what to do with himself if he failed like that. He kicked open the door of the apartment building, people who were standing inside the street jumped slightly out of the way. He just walked past them, but Derick behind him offered his apology. Joshua kept silent as they walked towards the shop, where they all worked. Vanessa was standing behind the counter, explaining to an old lady how the cr¨¨me worked. Jessica was putting other products on the shelves, then there was Jacob in the back. Smashing the plants together to make the newest products, Joshua walked towards the station next to Jacob and started to do the same thing. Derick started to unbox products that were used to make skin care cr¨¨me''s, potions, and cosmetics. That was their job, and it was honest work. Getting those products to the people who really needed it, but this was only the forefront of the store. Mychaell was working in the back, where he was responsible for the Freedom Fighters. He was the one that excepted jobs, trained new recruits and now took care of the finances. From both the apothecary and the mercenary guild. Jessica followed him.


    "Still, no Rycharde?" she asked, and he shook his head. She like him was one of the first Freedom Fighters inside this city. "Well, let just hope that he has a very good reason to leave us hanging like that."


    "He says that he is mourning," Mychaell replied, he sat down behind Rycharde''s desk. There was a large stack of papers waiting for him.


    "Mourning?" Jessica said confused. "Well, I believe he had a son inside that city. So, that makes sense. But what about that girl, the Freedom Fighter that is now wasting away inside his apartment?" Mychaell really didn''t want to talk about this, but Jessica was entitled to the answer.


    "She apparently lost everything because of Rycharde''s son." Mychaell said, and Jessica''s eyes grew. He simply nodded, and then he shared with her everything Rycharde shared with him. He also shared, with her, Derick''s point of view.


    "I hate to say it, but Derick is right. I wouldn''t know what to do when that would happen to our city. Maybe seeing some people from her own age and gender would help. I will ask Rycharde, when I am done with working." She said, Mychaell nodded. He grabbed the first file that lay on the desk.


    "Take Vanessa with you, the boys and I have another case." He said. Holding up the file, Jessica looked at it with narrowed eyes.


    "That man again, you know that I have a bad feeling about him." she said. And he knew that all too well, it was not that she was hiding it from them. Or from the man in question, but Rycharde wanted them to get involved with this man for that specific reason. To win that man''s trust, while they investigate his every move.


    "You go and take care of Rycharde''s guest, while the boys and I take care of this creep." he responded. Jessica nodded and left the office. He had a bad feeling about their job tonight, not that he was going to voice that. It might be better if he kept such things to himself. He then grabbed a few other folders, for reviewing. Wishing with every file that Rycharde would come back. Did that girl feel like this at one point in time? Of course, she has, Justin, Rycharde''s son, went on a power trip right after his father left three years ago. The young man, took over the city terrorized it citizens and most of all he made that girl''s live a living underworld. Mychaell sighed, this was going to be a long day.

 Chapter 2

    Genevieve pushed herself from the bed and went over to the window, it was dark and countless stars were decorating the night sky. Another thing she was not able to see in Benevolence, she loved to see them. She sat down and gazed upwards, maybe she should ask Rycharde for a book on stars and constellations. A soft knock landed on the door, she didn''t reply. It was probably Rycharde, who would come in any way. Even if, she didn''t reply, but she got slightly confused when another knock landed. She turned towards the door and frowned, Rycharde never knocked twice. So if this wasn''t Rycharde who was it?


    "Come in," she said when a knock landed for the third time. The door opened and a woman with golden blond hair stepped in. Her golden eyes were gleaming in the darkness of the room, but she was not alone. A woman with brown hair that was tight back into a ponytail was behind her. Genevieve stood up and walked away from the window. She didn''t know who these women were, and even if they introduced themselves, she wouldn''t feel safe sitting at a spot where she can be pushed. It was twenty stories down, something that would kill her for sure. "Who are you, does Rycharde know that you are here?" The blond woman nodded, her golden eyes were taking her in.


    "I am Jessica, and my friend over here is Vanessa. We are Rycharde''s new charges." Jessica said and Vanessa nodded slowly. So these were the new Freedom Fighters that Rycharde created, they were the reason why Rycharde left her and the others. Did they know what was happening inside Benevolence? On the other hand, it was not their job to focus on another city. "And you are?"


    "Genevieve," she replied. "Genevieve Thorne."


    "Pleasant, now that we know each other''s names. Let us all be frank with one and other," Jessica said. But Vanessa placed a hand on her friend''s shoulder.


    "Jessica, slow down. She has being through enough," Vanessa said, but her blue eyes told Genevieve all that she needed to know. She agreed with every word Jessica was saying, and so did Genevieve. It was better that everything was out and in the open.


    "You all want me to kick Rycharde out of the apartment, which is something I have tried many times. But he is a grown ass man, who wouldn''t leave until I am okay. And from woman to woman, I am not okay. I doubt I ever will be, but I am willing to fake it." Genevieve said, while crossing her arms. She turned away from the women and gazed out of the window. No, she would never be okay, and that is something she needed to learn how to deal with it. Someone walked over to her, and she didn''t know who it was until the arms of Vanessa were surrounding her. Genevieve fought against the urge to punch her, it was a hug. There was nothing harmful, just a hug. "Uhm, next time, give me a warning." Vanessa jumped away from her.


    "Sorry," she said. "It seemed to me that you needed one." Which can be true, but still. After what happened with Justin. Genevieve locked eyes with Jessica, who simply nodded.


    "You are lucky she didn''t kick your butt," Jessica said, she walked over to the window and sat down. Vanessa and Genevieve followed her. "But thank you, for understanding. I have to say that I was surprised to see someone like you here." Genevieve tilted her head slightly, she wondered what Jessica meant by that. "I mean, you are quite beautiful."


    "So are you," Genevieve said, and Jessica gave her a warm smile.


    "Thank you, but that was not what I am trying to say. Rycharde always told stories about you, about how strong and smart you are. He never said anything about your looks." Genevieve cursed slightly while turning her gaze towards the floor, the metal that supposed to look like wood was strangely enough comforting. He had talked about her, she sighed.


    "Please do me one favor," she said. "Do not compare me to the Genevieve of Rycharde''s stories. I am no longer that girl." She stood up and walked over to the window. "She died three years ago, right after he left, and Justin got free-range to do with her what he wanted." She hoped that Rycharde also told them about Justin.


    "What did he do too you?" Vanessa asked. "You do not have to answer me, if you do not want to." Which was sweet.


    "Well, I already know about one thing, so you can leave that one out." Jessica said. "I saw how you reacted when Vanessa hugged you." Genevieve nodded and she smiled. Not that they saw it, she was standing with her back towards them after all.


    "I was fifteen when I joined the Freedom Fighters. My adoptive parents were already working for Rycharde inside his apothecary. Justin was the one who trained me, he taught me everything I needed. Like Rycharde told you, I was strong and smart. But not smart enough to not fall in love with Justin. He was my mentor, and a bit older. But I fall for him hard, and he knew it. At first, I gave him everything, but then he started to take it. By force if needed. One day I fought back, he killed my adoptive parents because of that. After that, I only had the rest of my team. He killed them, as well, on the day that he burned Benevolence down." She said, and took a deep breath. Genevieve then noticed that she was crying. "Like I said, the strong and smart Genevieve died a few years ago. Now I fill my days with eating, training, going to the bathroom when needed and taking naps. So that I can look up at the stars, something I couldn''t do in Benevolence. There was too much light pollution." She heard some rustling behind her and then felt slightly the arms of the two other women on each side.


    "I am so sorry," Jessica whispered. "But thank you, for sharing this with us. What has being said here, will not leave this room. You have my word." Vanessa nodded slowly, clearly agreeing with Jessica''s statement.


    Genevieve wanted to thank them, and she was glad that these women were friendly. The women who were part of the Freedom Fighters at home always side eyed her. Which could be chalked up with them being in love with Justin as well, what explained things, but this doesn''t excuse their behavior. She lowered her head, and started to whip the tears away.


    "I really can use that huge right now," she whispered. But Jessica and Vanessa still heard her, they wrapped their bodies around her. "Thank you, thank you so much." Jessica, placed her he


    ad on Genevieve''s shoulder. The door of the apartment flew open, the three women jumped up, turned around to see what was going on.


    "Rycharde, Rycharde. By the wasteland, where is he?" It was the voice of a young man. Jessica frowned, slightly.


    "Is that Jacob?" Vanessa asked, Jessica nodded, and they rushed out of the room. Genevieve followed them, a man with short brown hair stood in the living room. His face was badly brushed, and the smell of blood directly stung Genevieve''s noise. He didn''t need to say much, she already knew that something bad has happened. "Jacob, weren''t you on a mission with the others?"


    "I was, but it was a trap. I escaped,"  Jacob said, he was panting heavily. "Those bastards are forcing Mycheall to kill the mayor, while they hold Joshua and Deryck at gun point." Genevieve gasp, no, no. This was not going to happen, not to this group. Not if she could help it.


    "Do the two of you know how to fight?" Genevieve asked Jessica and Vanessa, and the both of them nodded. "The three of you go with him and free the others. I will go after this, Mycheall." The both of them now frowned and were about to say something. "There is no time like the present, and right now every second counts." She rushed out of the door.


    "Wait, Genevieve. Do you know where you need to go?" Jessica shouted after her. Yes, she knew, training doesn''t only mean the body. But also the mind, she has studied the map of this city. She had heard some conversations between Rycharde and someone, and they always talked about a few empty warehouses. All of them were inside the Carnburg district, which was known for the waterfront industry. But to get there, she needed to get passed Mason''s Market, the poorest district of town. And not a place a woman should be alone, after dark. But it was through that district that those bastards would go to get to city hall. It was filled to the brim with criminal activity, run by gangs, and police wouldn''t bet an eye if they saw something minor. They would react if someone got hurt, or that was at least the case inside Benevolence, she didn''t know how things were run inside Maraud. She ran through the streets, the streetlights provided enough light to spot any holes inside the road. She ran until she saw what she needed to see, a man that was pushed forward inside a dark alley way. They were at the edge of Mason''s Market, so she was just in time. She moved herself into a small cove, that the alley provided, and now all she needed to do was wait.


    ********


    A chilly wind blew through the busted windows, the smell of rotting food still lingered in the air. It has been a while since this place had seen fresh products, or savory people. These run down, empty warehouse was once a bustling place with hardworking people. Crops that left the farms were stored here for a brief period of time, before they traveled towards the stores or markets inside the city. But then the waterfront industry took this district over, forcing the raw food industry to move to the Winmead. A lot of people of Mason''s Market that worked here were fired, the waterfront didn''t need them all, and the other companies that were here had their own people. Leaving a lot of Mason''s Market unemployed, crime took over the streets. Mychaell glanced around, his parents had worked inside this building. Before it shut down, his father was able to get a job with the new warehouse. Which took him two to three hours on foot, but the pay was decent enough to make that trip every day. His mother on the other hand was not as lucky, but soon after she got fired, she found out that she was expecting. So she stayed home raising him, until his father got killed on his way home. His mother turned towards alcohol, and sold herself to earn money for her liquor. Forgetting from time to time that she had a son to feed. A son who turned towards crime, until he met Rycharde. Now he was part of the Freedom Fighters, and this filled him with a sense of pride. The last time he checked, his mother was still alive and drunk. Joshua stood next to him, jumping from one foot to another. Mychaell knew that he had a similar story, but he never prides further then the basic''s. Derick cursed under his breath, which was a bit strange. Derick was not only the brains, but also the most level-headed and is he lost his cool, then something was really wrong. Mychaell glanced over to his friend, two men armed with guns slowly walked towards them. Now it was his time to curse, Jessica was right. This was a bad idea.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    "We are here on the invitation of mister Dixton." Mychaell said, knowing that this doesn''t change a single thing. "He said that he had another job for us." Two more men dropped from the ceiling, and started to beat down Joshua, Derick and Jacob. Mychaell wanted to rush towards them, but stopped when he felt the muzzle of a gun against his temple.


    "Ohh, they know that we have business, mister Leman." Mister Dixton said. His voice sounded so slimy that it made Mychaell want to take a long and hot shower. "They are here to make sure that the business goes according to plan." The sound of multiple gunshots became audible, Mychaell turned his head to see what was going on. Only to see that Jacob has broken free and running away. "Leave him, the other two are more than enough. Besides that, the boy doesn''t know our plans." Which was true, and somewhere Mychaell was glad that Jacob menaced to escape. Jacob was the youngest of the Freedom Fighters and shouldn''t be present in a mission like this one. A mission that is going massively wrong. "Well mister Leman, now that you know how serious this is, let me tell you what you need to do. You need to kill the mayor." Mychaell''s eyes grew wide, this was bad, really bad. "I do not have to tell you what would happen to your friends if you refuse." No, he didn''t have to tell him. Joshua and Derick were laying on the ground, guns were placed on the back of their heads.


    "I do it," Mychaell said through gritted teeth. He really didn''t want to, but he didn''t have any other choice. Was this also something that the girl had experienced? Was she forced to make a decision like this? He wouldn''t be surprised if she had, and now that he experienced it for himself, he started to understand her slightly.


    "I knew you were a smart man," mister Dixton said. This had nothing to do with being smart, he didn''t want to his friends being killed. "Well let us be off then." He grabbed Mychaell by the shoulders and pushed him towards the exit. From the corner of his eye, Mychaell was able to see Jacob, he was hiding behind a large stack of empty crates. Good now he knew about the plan, and was able to get informed help. All he needed to do right now is to stall, which wouldn''t be easy. But there was nothing else he could do without getting his friends in mortal danger. They walked through the small alleyways of Mason''s Market, a place he once called home. He even spotted his old house, the large pile of empty liquor bottles was stacked besides the door. A woman that looked a lot like his drunken mother was leaning against the door, kissing some man. So she was bringing her clients home nowadays, which was smart. If one passed out after the deed, she could charge him extra for housing and maybe for an extra round.


    The sight of his mother, alive, didn''t bring him any comfort. He apparently had stopped walking, because the next thing he knew was the muzzle of the gun aimed at his back. "What are you looking at?" Mister Dixton asked, and then he heard the man snort. "Ohh, yes, that woman knows how to make her costumers happy. I heard she had a man once, and a kid. Don''t know what happened to them." Mychaell closed his eyes and started walking. "Wait, you know what happened to them, don''t you?"


    "Her man was killed, and the kid ran away." Mychaell said, without too much emotion. "After a couple of months starving for something more than a few bites of stale bread." He looked up, to see where he was walking. There was a hole in the ground, this could help to stall the both of them a bit more.


    He walked straight towards it while mister Dixton was yelping away behind him. Stuff about his mother, things he really didn''t want to know. He stepped into the hole, and fall. He quickly moved his hands forward so that he would catch himself. But there was something he didn''t see, a very sharp stick hanging just in front of the hole. The stick cut through his clothes and flesh, he hissed from the pain. Quickly hoping that it wasn''t too deep.


    "What are you doing?" Mister Dixton asked loudly.


    "Sorry, it is not that I want to get hurt on purpose." Mychaell snapped back at the man. Which was a bit of a lie, but mister Dixton didn''t need to know that.


    "You better get up and quick, we do not want to get caught. Because you know what would happen to your friends, if that happens." Mister Dixton hissed. Yes, he did know, and he hoped that Jacob did his part well. He got up and started walking again, they were almost at the edge of the district. Something crept inside the alleyway, or rather, someone with blazing red hair. He only saw a glimpse of her, before she hid inside a cove. What was she doing here?


    How did she know that the cove was even there? So many questions right now, but he kept on walking. He barely made eye contact with her, and he was stunned to see the most beautiful blue eyes. She winked playfully at him, and then kicked at mister Dixton''s hand, the hand that was holding the gun. The weapon smashed against the wall and not much later mister Dixton followed. The head made contact, and he fell towards the ground. For a split second, Mychaell believed that the man was dead. But the girl knelt down next to him.


    "He is still breathing," she said, emotionless. She stood up, turned towards him and grabbed his arm. "That needs stitches, but you will live, big boy." She quickly glanced around and then grabbed a piece of metal. "So that is also covered. Now, let''s get out of here."


    "I can''t go, the others," Mychaell started, and she looked at him with raised eyebrows. "Vanessa, and Jessica?" She nodded, and he sighed, of course he could have known. The started to walk away when they noticed flashing lights.


    "Fuck, well, at least I planted some evidence." she said. She looked at him, and smirked. "Please, follow my lead." He wanted to ask what she meant, this was just the police. But then it hit him, she was not a citizen. She was illegally inside the city, if she got caught, then there was nothing he or Rycharde could do to help her. She started to scream bloody murder, and threw herself into his arms. Sobbing, loudly. What in the Wasteland? The police men rushed towards them. "Thank you, thank you so much, kind sir. You saved me, you saved me from that man." He closed his eyes and cursed slightly, she was right now playing the victim, smart. Police wouldn''t ask a lady in so much distress for her identification, if they are lucky, and she can keep this up.


    "What happened here?" one police officer asked, the girl started to scream stuff which nobody, not even Mychaell was able to understand.


    "I was checking up on my mother, and I saw this piece of garbage pulling this woman inside the alleyway." Mychaell nodded towards mister Dixton. "Safe to say that he will wake up with a massive headache, and if the two of you didn''t arrive here sooner, I doubted that he would have a working member." The police officer nodded, and narrowed his eyes.


    "Do you know where she lives?" the officer who was a regular inside the apothecary. Mychaell wiggled with his head.


    "Somewhere near the apothecary, I have seen her around there. I will figure it out once we are there." he said, the officer nodded and sighed.


    "Alright, we leave her with you. But let Rycharde take a look at that cut in your arm, would you." The officer said. Mychaell nodded, and guided the still sobbing girl with him. He almost started to believe that she was this much in distress. Only for her to knock it off when they were at a safe distance.


    "Good, job. Didn''t know you had it in you. Now let''s get our butts in gear, I rather keep it by just one performance." She said with a smirk. "The apothecary, is it also the headquarters of the Freedom Fighters?" he nodded, as they started to run. "Something''s never change." It didn''t take long before he closed the door behind him. She walked through the shop as if she owned the place, she grabbed one of the ointments off the selves. Before making her way to the back. "Take off that shirt, and sit down." She didn''t even look for the first aid kit, she just grabbed it. He frowed, but still did as she said. She blinked a few times when she saw his body, but then went to work. Her whole body was shaking, but her hands were steady. He couldn''t understand how that was even posible. Still she kept on stitching, she placed the ointment on the wound. And then took a deep breath of air, now her whole body started to shake.


    "Hey, are you alright?" he asked, he reached for her with his other hand. But she jumped away from it. Which was strange, she jumped in his arms earlier this evening. What was wrong with her?


    "I... I am..." she started, but she didn''t even had the chance to say that she was fine. Before she closed her eyes, and almost dropped to the ground. He was glad that he was able to catch her before her head touched the concrete.


    "You are fine, my ass." he said under his breath. He walked over to the cot that they keep inside the store. He lay her down and grabbed a chair. He glanced over her sleeping face, her blazing red hair covered the whole pillow. Her skin almost seemed to glow, she was stunning. He couldn''t deny that, but he had seen how strong she was. How smart, that part of the stories was true. But her shaking like a leaf, was something Rycharde never mencaned before. He shook his head, there were parts of the story missing and he was going to sit here, waiting until he figured out why that was the case.

 Chapter 3

    A soft sound woke him up, at first he wondered where he was. And why he was sitting in some chair instead of laying down in his bed. But then everything came back to him, how the boys, and he, were attacked by mister Dixton and his man. How this girl with blazing red hair saved him and patched him up. How she started to shake all of a sudden, and right after that collapsed. She was laying in bed, her beautiful face contorted. He jumped up, was she in pain?


    "No, no, don''t leave me." she said softly in her sleep. He took a deep breath, the girl just had a nightmare. Then he saw the tears. "No, Maek, Allia. I am sorry, I am so sorry. Please do not leave me, I do not want to be alone anymore." Mychaell sat down on the bed, the sobs were heartbreaking. She spoke those name with so much love, and then again with so much pain. "No!" Her eyes flew open and she pushed herself up. Gasping for air, looking wildly around her. Tears streamed freely, her gasps for air were rapid and shallow. She had a panic attack.


    "Easy, easy." he whispered to her, her eyes snapped towards him. But somehow he got the sense that she was not seeing him, the fear was too much for that. "You are in Maraud, you are safe. No one around here is going to hurt you." She slowly nodded, but there was something inside him that told him that she heard him. But not fully understood what he was saying. "Am I allowed to hug you?" he asked, she again nodded. He moved closer, and wrapped his arms around her. At first, she tensed up, but then relaxed. He moved a bit so that he was sitting next to her on the bed. She turned her face towards him and started to weep violently. "He killed them, he killed Meak and Allia." Mychaell made a mental note towards himself to ask Rycharde, not her, who these people were. "I fought him off, and he killed them to punish me." He wanted to know who ''he'' was. But somewhere he had the feeling that he already knew who coursed her to have so much pain. "He killed them."


    "I know, I know," he whispered. While moving his hand up and down her back, she grabbed his shirt with both hands and sobbed even harder. Repeating over and over that someone had killed Meak and Allia. It took a while before the sobbing stopped, and she was fast a sleep once more. He was not able to catch a wink, after that happened. He didn''t let go of her, either. Not that he could move, she was holding him tight. Jessica entered the backroom just when the early rays of golden sunlight crept through the windows.


    "Mychaell, what are you doing?" she asked. Looking from the girl to him and back.


    "She had a night terror," he explained. "Nightmare, panic attack, she kept saying ''he killed them, I fought him off, and he killed them to punish me''." Jessica''s gaze softened a bit, and she slowly took a deep breath.


    "She told Vanessa and me, about what happened to her. And I promised her that I wouldn''t share it with anybody else. But all I know is that Genevieve was the best Freedom Fighter in Benevolence, right after Justin, which made her a thread. But she loved him, and he used it to his advantage." Jessica said, and Mychaell nodded. He had seen the signs. "I also suspect that Rycharde lied to you about him being in mourning. I believe those night terrors are the real reason why he stayed at home." That was something he didn''t understand.


    "Care to explain?" he asked. She nodded and sighed.


    "Well he might be in mourning, Justin was his son. But he also was a piece of shit, and Rycharde knows that. Now why I think the night terrors are the main reason. Well, you said it a couple of days back that Genevieve sleeps a lot. Although night terrors do not happen every time, they happen fragrantly. And there are some instances where people who suffered from a night terror hurt themselves. I think Rycharde wants to be there to protect her from this." Jessica said, he slowly nodded, this made a lot of sense. But why dies Rycharde not say that, why hide behind a lame excuse? Was this also to protect her? To protect her from what? From them, the city, or other things that might hurt her? There were too many questions, and not enough answers. "But all I know is that she is still a Freedom Fighter at heart."


    "And why do you think that?" he asked. He really wanted to know why she thought that. Jessica, besides himself, was one of the toughest person he knew. And she wouldn''t say stuff like that on a whim.


    "She jumped right into action when she heard that you were in trouble. She sent us to Derick and Joshua, and she herself went after you. She didn''t ask any questions, or directions. Meaning that she studied the city map, and when I say studied. I mean studied, she knows all the districts and alleyways. She knew which path you were one, and she went straight towards it." Jessica said, that indeed spoke volumes. But how did she know what their start point would be? He closed his eyes, Rycharde and he spoke about it right after she arrived here. She must have overheard their conversation. He looked at the sleeping girl that currently used him as a pillow.


    "Jessica, I was wondering, do you know who Meak and Allia are?" he asked. She nodded.


    "Does where adoptive parents." She replied. "Also, do not worry about Joshua and Derick, they are both fine. And I suspect that they would arrive here at any minute." Her adoptive parents, so she was an orphan, which made the murder more heartbreaking.


    "Please, keep everybody away. Let''s give her all the rest she needs. And to be fair, I can use some shut-eye myself. Haven''t gotten any sleep after her episode." he said, Jessica nodded. And left them behind. He could hear his friends stumbling in, he heard Jessica warning them and ordering them to get to work. He smiled, he was happy to know that his friends were alright. They might be a bit banged up, but no major injuries. He was glad to hear feint sounds of them fooling around, his eyelid grew heavy and he nodded off.


    *****


    Genevieve didn''t know at first why her pillow was this hard, or why it was moving. But it felt so good, warm and safe. And that was something she hadn''t felt in the last three years. It was also great to jump into action, to save someone''s live, to fight for something that was right instead of enforcing someone''s rule. She sighed and moved her head slightly, yes, this felt so nice.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    "It seems to me that you are finally waking up," the pillow vibrated together with the deep voice. Her eyes flew open, she was laying on someone''s chest. Her knuckles were white while holding this person''s t-shirt for deer live. Quickly, she let go and pushed herself up to look this person in the eye. It was the man she rescued, and patched up. His black hair hung slightly for his dark blue eyes, what was he doing inside her bed? "You had a night terror, I helped to calm you down with a hug. Only you fall back asleep right after that, using me as your personal pillow." The gaze inside the dark blue eyes was soft, not judgmental at all. Something she wasn''t used to, but then again she didn''t know this man. She didn''t know his intentions, all she knew was that he was part of Rycharde''s new Freedom Fighters. She slowly pushed herself up, but slipped and fall back down on his chest. He gasped for air, and maybe released a curse under his breath. She couldn''t quite hear it.


    "I am so sorry," she muttered. Again pushing herself up and got up from the bed. Quietly looking around to find her bearings, she was in the back of Rycharde''s apothecary. Which was used as the headquarters of the Freedom Fighters. A large stack of files was placed on a desk, awaiting to be examined. She grabbed a rubber hairband and tied up her hair. She didn''t know how late it was, but the sun was up. So there was no way, that she was able to sneak out of here to get back to Rycharde''s apartment. So it would be better if she made herself useful.


    "What are you doing?" he asked her, he was also standing next to the bed. His gaze was following her every move. She sat down behind the desk, started up the computer.


    "First I am going to do Rycharde''s job, by getting these," she placed her hand on the stack. "Of your desk, while I let a useful program that one of my ..." her voice died, "someone I knew, created." she swallowed. "She created it to hack into other computers and to find all sorts of information." She took her shoe, and slid off the heel. In there was a flash drive, she placed it in the computer. "What was the name of that piece of garbage?"


    "Mister Dixton," he said, while he walked over to the desk. He stood next to here, while she typed in the name and as soon as she pressed enter the program did its thing. She took the first file and looked it over. "No," she took another. "Absolutely not. Not worth your time. This will be a nice job for Vanessa and Jessica." So she went from one file to the next, until there were none left on the desk. The man with dark blue eyes, she believed that his name was Mychaell was starting at her with his mouth ajar. "I have never seen someone, not even Rycharde work so fast through those files." She smiled and shrugged.


    "That is why I quickly became responsible for handling that. Justin didn''t know how to deal with it, either." She said. Her mood soured a bit when she said his name, but there was no turning back now. He nodded towards the computer.


    "Why does Rycharde not have this program?" He asked and she closed her eyes.


    "The one that created it, joined the Freedom Fighters right after he left. It took her a year to complete it. But as soon as it was done, she gave the program to me. Justin killed her right after she lied that she failed to complete the program." She said, the results of the search jumped open on the screen in one document. "She was the first one I cared about that was killed by him, my adoptive parents were killed two days later." She quickly went over the information, she gasped for air when she saw something familiar.


    Benevolence industries


    That was one of Justin''s secret projects, why was this piece of garbage connected with them.


    "What is wrong?" Mychaell asked, and shock her head.


    "There is nothing." She replied, because she truthy hoped that it was indeed nothing. "I will print it out, so that you can study it." she got up and walked out of the office, leaving Mychaell behind. She grabbed a weapon, she didn''t care which kind it was, and started training. She needed to get the name of that cursed company out of her mind. She needed to get the whole past out of her mind as well. Mychaell told her that she had suffered from a night terror, was that one of the reasons why Rycharde stayed at the apartment with her? Probably, he always said that he was trying to protect her. She had wondered from what, now she knew the answer. He was protecting her from herself. She went through the motions with the knife, she just noticed that it was a knife instead of a sword or axe. She rather would grab a gun, and shoot all the rounds. But she knew that Rycharde didn''t like guns, which was understandable. It was a shame that the bad guys do not share that sentiment. She closed her eyes, in the hope that she could give in to the motions. Only to be met with terrifying memories, all the times that she looked in someone''s eyes, and they knew they were about to die. Either by her hand, or that of Justin. Justin''s smug grin when he forced her to do something, or to tell it was her fault. Her fault that her adoptive parents were killed, that the others that she loved were killed. That a mission failed, that his father left, everything was her fault and she needed to pay the price for those mistakes.


    "That is not true," someone close by said. "Those things were not your fault." She opened her eyes and Mychaell was holding her arm with the knife. Why was he doing that, did she attack him? She opened her hand, and the knife fall with a lot of sound on the ground. "Rycharde is a grown man, who made the decision to leave. And that was not your fault." Mychaell said. "And I am pretty sure that all that other stuff, was also not your fault." Had she said all of it out loud?


    "But, I.. I.." she started, not knowing what to say next.


    "You were the strongest Freedom Fighter, besides Justin. Which made you a clear thread, so when he took power he needed to find ways to cut you down, without killing you. Because you were also very useful to him, so he made you feel small. Responsible, but without any form of control." Mychaell said, it sounded so logical. She lowered her arm, and her head, ashamed of the fact that she was so weak. "No, no, don''t do that. You let him win if you do." She didn''t understand what he meant by that. "Let me put it this way, when you heard that the guys and I were in danger, do you think for a second that it was either of us that failed?" She shook her head, no, these men had guns. "Do you think that I am weak, because I needed you to save me?" Again she shook her head. From what she heard, the other guys were held at gunpoint. So he was afraid that if he did something stupid they would be killed. And if she remembered correctly, he was still worried about them, until she told him that Vanessa and Jessica were on the job. "Well, the same could be applied to you. You are strong and smart, and yes, you are no longer the same girl that Rycharde left behind three years ago. And you shouldn''t be." Tears started to sting, and she sank towards the ground. Ready to break down, to cry her heart out. He let her go, and after a few seconds he wrapped his arms around her. And once again she felt safe.

 Chapter 4

    Mychaell looked once again at Genevieve, she had cried so much that he doubted that she would have any tears left after this all. But that was not the thing that concerned him, the vacant stare, right before she almost hurt herself. Her snapping out of some kind of trans, it was concerning. So there were not only the night terrors, there was something really wrong with her. He sighed as he looked at her peaceful face, she was once again sleeping which gave him time to think about all of this. The door that connected the back of the house with the apothecary opened up, and Rycharde marched in.


    "Where and how is she?" that were the first things out of his mouth. The frantic look in his eyes didn''t leave even when he saw her sleeping.


    "She is fine, but I have some questions." Mychaell replied, Rycharde deflated as if he knew what he was going to ask. "And I think the rest of the crew should hear it as well. Because after what I have seen and hear, I know one thing. You are not going to do this on your own." Rycharde nodded slowly, as if he was trying to accept the gravity of Mychaell''s words. Which he knew that it wouldn''t be easy, he always knew that Rycharde was a proud, and independent man. Not quick to admit that he needs help or was wrong about something. He once took pride in the creating of not one but two organizations that were fighting corruption, from which, now, only one remained. Jessica, or someone else from the crew, had overheard him, through the open door, because they were standing inside the door opening of the office. "I know that she has night terrors, and I think I also know why she has them. Jessica already told me that there were cases of people that tried to hurt themselves when they are in one. My first question is, has this come to pass?" Rycharde lowered his head in shame, but nodded. "And that is part of the reason why you aren''t around as much." Again he nodded. Mychaell''s gaze went to the others just outside the office, and they were sharing glances with each other. Maybe some of them don''t know what a night terror was, and they were lucky in that regard.


    "A night terror happens when a person relives their traumatic events, while they are fast asleep. It appears that the person in question just woke up after a nightmare, and are having a panic attack afterward. But they are still fast asleep." Jessica said, probably noticing the same thing. "And just like with people that have a panic attack they can do some strange things that can lead to harming themselves." Rycharde sighed loudly.


    "Do they really need to know this, I can handle the night terrors. They have being drastically reduced, since she is here. Now they happen once a week." Rycharde said loudly, which was good to know.


    "But what about the episodes when she is wide awake?" Mychaell asked, and right at that moment all the blood vanished out of Rycharde''s face. "I was busy investigating some information, about our good friend Mister Dixton, when I heard her talking to herself. ''It is my fault that my adoptive parents were killed, that the others that I loved were killed. That a mission failed, that his father left, everything is my fault, and she needed to pay the price for those mistakes.'' She was practicing with a knife, and those words drew my attention. Which was a good thing, because she already had the knife pointed at her heart." Jessica gasped. "She was not really there, her eyes didn''t seem to move, and she kept repeating herself over and over. I had grabbed her arm before she could do anything, but I believe that I was just in time." Now he focused his attention on Rycharde. "Has she done this before?" And at that moment Rycharde broke in tears. Mychaell was shocked, about the sudden outburst. But this also meant that he had asked the right questions, and he already had his answer. Mychaell stood up from his chair, so that Rycharde could sit. He was able to see, from the corner of his eye, that Jessica was crying as well. She didn''t have a pleasant past either, none of them had. But he always figured that Jessica''s past was darker, not that she ever said anything about it. And he didn''t want to course her more harm by asking.


    "It has indeed happened, in the same way that you just described." Rycharde said, he sounded so defeated. "The first time, I was, just like you, just in time. I had gone away from the apartment, for a couple of hours. And when I opened the door, she was standing inside the kitchen with my gun. It was if she was in some kind of trance, repeating those words. And at one point I could hear not her, saying those things, but Justin. Which makes me sick to my stomach, my son, my flesh and blood." He shook his head. "After that, I stayed home, to keep an eye on her. I also made sure that everything inside the house that could be a danger to her, was locked up. The only thing that worries me is that window, but the main thing about those trances is, that she doesn''t remember them. It is just like with the night terrors, she has no recollection of ever doing it. And I kept it hidden from her, mainly because I feel guilty." Mychaell now noticed that Genevieve''s eyes were opened, how much of this had she heard? But Rycharde hadn''t noticed a thing. "I am the one that left her with Justin, all because I didn''t want her to be separated from the only family she had known. You see, Alia, my beloved younger sister, found Genevieve in the alley way behind the apothecary. She probably had lived on the streets for many years, and was hiding there from people that picked orphaned children up, abused them or even sell them. Alia and her husband Meak were trying to have children for years, but they were unsuccessful. That all changed when she found Genevieve, they took her in and treated her as their own. Which was again something I didn''t want to break up. But Justin had other ideas, if what Genevieve told me is true, and I do not doubt her at all, then he killed his own aunt. Who has helped with raising him, after his own mother left him." Mychaell walked over to the bed and sat down. Genevieve had sat up, again something Rycharde hadn''t noticed, and he wrapped an arm around her. Her cheeks were covered in tears, but she placed her head on his shoulder. She was so strong, it was painful to see her like this. The same could be said about Rycharde.


    "Rycharde, you know that I respect you, and we all care for you. You have saved us in many ways, let us help you. Because you are not able to do this on your own." Mychaell said. Mychaell''s gaze went to Genevieve, who slowly nodded. Again he wondered how much did she hear, somewhere deep down he hoped that she caught it all. If not, he would tell her, when they were alone. "I know it is not your fault, and a lot of the things you suffer from are done to you. But Rycharde needs his life back, and so do you. Being coop up in that apartment is not helping anybody." Rycharde now caught on that Genevieve was awake, but he said not anything to her. "During the day, you will work either in the apothecary or at the back of the house with Rycharde and myself. During the night, one of us will go with you and Rycharde." She again nodded, he then looked up to face the rest of the team. "Is there someone who thinks he, or she, is not up to the task? It will not be easy, and it will be emotionally tasking. I will not think less of you, none of us will." Jessica put her hand up, and he expected as much. She then looked at Genevieve, was she going to explain herself? She didn''t have too, but he was not going to stop her either.


    "I have being where you were, and I already had trouble to climb out of the black hole myself. I can not give you the support that you need," she said, and Genevieve gave her a soft smile. "I am however talking about the night shifts, I will keep an eye on you when you are working up front."


    "Which will not happen that much, in the first couple of days." Rycharde said. "She is not a citizen."


    "Then it is about time, you get your act together and arrange it." Mychaell said, without a hint of emotion. Yes, he went through a though time. And yes, reaching out for help is not easy, but it was highly time that Rycharde picked himself up. He now focused his attention to Genevieve. "I am sorry that I didn''t ask you if you''re alright with all of this first. But this needs to stop, you are a strong woman, and smart too." She took his hand, he looked at it. It was not the first time that they made skin contact, but this time it felt different.


    "I will be fine," she said. But there was not much emotion inside her voice. He nodded and motioned to the others that they could go. Rycharde stood up as well.


    "I need to sort out the files," he said.


    "I have already done that, but there is a list with information about Mister Dixton." Genevieve said, Rycharde smiled at her.


    "That is the Genevieve I know,"  he said before he left the room. He closed the door behind him, given them some privacy. Mychaell''s gaze went back to his hand, she was still holding it. Was he going to say anything about it? Nope, he was not.


    "How much did you hear?" He asked instead. She took her hand of his, and it directly felt empty. But she didn''t give him a direct answer, which was fine. "Do you want me to tell you everything." She nodded, and he told her the whole story.


    "I can''t believe it, I can''t believe that I am willing to hurt myself." she said, she sounded desperate. "I made a promise to do my best to survive, to live."  She shook her head. "What is happening to me?" He shrugged.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    "I do not know, and I know, that you aren''t doing this on purpose. Your brain, is trying to process the trauma. And this is me guessing, because I never being there, but I think that those episodes are simply your brain malfunctioning, just like a computer does." In his mind this made a lot of sense, he hoped that she thought the same thing.


    "I don''t want to hurt anybody, I do not want to be a burden." she said, her voice broke. He wanted to hug her, but then remembered that she might have a flashback to what happened to her.


    "You are not a burnden, not to me. Not to Rycharde, not to anybody. Do you hear me?" He said and she nodded, but not with enthousiasme, which he didn''t expect her too. "Are you alright with me hugging you?" She nodded and he wrapped his arms around her holding her tight. "You will never be a burden to me."


    *******


    It was strange, but working inside the apothecary brought back some normality to her live. Helping costumers, making the ointments and pills, smashing the herbs, filling up the shelves. She had forgotten that she loved to work inside a shop like this, it also brought back fond memories from her childhood. The time before she joined the Freedom Fighters, she always helped Meak and Alia in the store, doing stuff just like this. The time when Justin just left her alone, because she was nothing more than an annoying kid. Those were his words, not hers, but then again she was free.


    "Genevieve, can you grab some ginger from the back?" Jacob asked, which was a code for you are needed in the back of the house. She just placed the last box with tea on the self, which were her idea and not to her surprise a direct hit.


    "I will," she replied. "Do you need anything else?" He shook his head, her gaze went over the others and they too shook their heads. "Alright then." she took the basket that she carried to the back and placed it on the shelf. She took some ginger and put it in the basket, before she went on to the headquarters of the Freedom Fighters. It was funny, and a bit disturbing how similar the set-up was with the headquarters in Benevolence. Mychaell came towards her, and she graced him with a smile. He was so kind to her the last couple of days, something she hadn''t suspected of him. She had heard him talk with Rycharde and most of his words were hars and cruel, especially when it came to her. But that was before he, and she knew what was going on with her.


    "How are you feeling?" He asked, something he always did when he saw her. Even if it had being just a couple of minutes.


    "I am getting there. You were right working inside the shop, or here in the back is helping." she said. "But what can I do for you, or was it Rycharde that needed my help?" He lowered his head.


    "It is Rycharde, he has once again a fight with the new program." Mychaell said with a groan. "And to be honest with you, I had enough." She chuckled, which brought a smile upon his face. He turned around, and together they walked over to Rycharde''s office, who was slamming his fist against the desk, cursing. For a second she didn''t see Rycharde, she saw Justin having one of his tantrums. One that resulted with her getting beat up. She stepped back, and Mychaell caught it directly. "Rycharde, stop!" he shouted. Rycharde stopped and looked at her shocked.


    "Genevieve, what is wrong?" he asked. She opened her mouth to say something, but the words didn''t leave her mouth. Her breath fastened, but none of the air reached her lungs. This was something that happened to her before, something Justin took pleasure in. "By the wasteland, she has a panic attack." Mychaell wrapped her in a hug and began to move gingerly. While Rycharde placed a paperback against her mouth, while motioning for her to breathe slowly. It worked, the flashbacks faded towards the background and her breathing slowed down enough for her to get some air in her system. "Here we go, nice and easy. You are not in any danger, I was not mad at you. I was mad at this cursed program."  She knew that, she already knew that before she entered the office.


    "I am sorry," she said. But both men shock their heads. They knew that this wasn''t her fault. "Justin would also scream and shout to a lifeless object, before he took his frustration out on me. While he kept on saying that it was my fault, even though I had nothing to do with it." Mychaell let go off her, and looked her straight in the eyes.


    "Justin is dead, he can do no more harm to you." he said softly. He then focused his attention to Rycharde. "But maybe it would be best if we are a bit more mindful about curtain outbursts." Rycharde nodded in agreement.


    "I will pay more attention, Mychaell why don''t you grab some calming tea for the three of us. And then Genevieve can help me with this cursed program. How in the wastelands name designed it?" Rycharde said.


    "Georgie," Genevieve replied. "She joined the team, right after you left. She was a genius with computers, she created this program and gave it to me. Before, she told Justin that she couldn''t get it to work. He killed her right then and there. Of course, after it, he blamed me for her death." She stood up, her legs were still a bit shaken. Still, she got to the chair and sat down, Rycharde had a whole list of names on a piece of paper. Some of them were scratched through, so does were already done. At least that was what she assumed. She typed in the first name on the list, and let the program do its job. "You need to give the program a few minutes, it is basically hacking every computer inside the city." she said, and she opened up another tab on the computer and started to do the finances. After a couple of seconds a small sound went off, and she printed the results. She typed in another name, and went back to what she was doing. Mychaell came in with tea. "Can I have those new case files?" she asked. Mychaell gave them to her, and she looked through them and penned down some more names on the piece of paper. "Hmm, this job seems simple and quick. Maybe Derick and Vanessa can do it right away. It is not busy inside the store, and we can use that money." She gave the file to Rycharde, who looked at it and nodded.


    "I will give it to them right away." He replied and left the room, Mychaell took the printed results and studied them.


    "Is there a reason why you wanted him out of the office?" Mychaell asked. She nodded and opened up the program. She pointed at the screen, as he stepped closer.


    Benevolence industries


    The company graced the screen, and Mychaell frowned. She then opened one of the files she just asked for, and there was it again.


    "Wait I have seen that company before, on the results on the search of mister Dixton." He said, and she nodded, he again narrowed his eyes. "You know that company," it was not a question. She only replied with one single nod.


    "I wish I didn''t, but it was Justin''s." she said. "Which means that it shouldn''t be active, but why did it offer us a job?" He nodded slowly.


    "It doesn''t make any sense," he said. "But you can go back to what you were doing. I can put in the rest of the searches." She smiled at him, again he was so sweet.


    "I will finish the finances first, I am almost done with it anyway." she said, and he nodded, leaving her to it. Another search completed and she printed it out. And she continued to do it, until the finances were in tip-top shape. And she went back to the front, together with her basket and the ginger.


    "Great to have you back," Jessica said. "Can you make more lavender tea backs, a costumer placed a huge order." Jessica gave her a copy of the order, and it was indeed big. Which couldn''t hurt the business at all, Genevieve nodded and went directly back to work.


    ********


    The day passed by, and it was time for them all to go home. Today it was Mychaell''s turn to keep an eye on her, although nothing had happened the last couple of days. Still, she was happy that they all wanted to look out for her. Last night it was Vanessa''s turn and it was a fun girls night. Painting each other''s nails, brushing their hair, talking about everything and nothing at the same time. All the things she loved to do with Georgie, and a view other girls from her former group. But Justin didn''t like it, so their get-together became more sporadic until it never happened at all. She hates the fact that Justin took so much from her, and the only thing she did was take his life. And after what she has seen today she was not sure about that either.


    Benevolence industries


    The name of that company will hunt her forever, just like Justin''s. But the company should have being destroyed with the rest of the city, with Justin. But right now the name was popping up in every person they look into, and even on cases presented to the Freedom Fighters of Maraud. It was at least strange.


    "Are you alright?" Mychaell asked. And she nodded, they had arrived at the apartment while she was lost in thought. "You know that you can talk to me, or say when this is not the case." She nodded again. Rycharde was already home and dinner was waiting for them when they entered.


    "Hey, the two of you can start without me." Rycharde shouted from the kitchen. He didn''t even step out to greet them, which was not so strange when it came to him. She sat down at the dinner table, and sighed. She was hungry, they, Mychaell and she had left the store a bit later. And all because of the great tea order, she had lost count of how many tea bags she made. At some point in time, Mychaell just started helping.


    "Do you want to take a shower first?" She asked Mychaell. But he shook his head, so after dinner she took a quick shower and let herself fall upon the bed. It didn''t take long before Mychaell entered her room as well. Rycharde had made a bed on the ground for all the boys that would come over. Only Vanessa was allowed to be in Genevieve''s bed according to Rycharde. Mychaell was wearing sweatpants and a simple tank top. He looked so tired, and ready to go to bed. She gave him a soft smile, as he laid down on the mattress. "Good night," she hoped that he would get a good night sleep. He turned towards her.


    "Don''t," he said. She looked at him a bit confused. "Don''t blame yourself for all of this, don''t say that you are sorry that I was not able to go home on time. I was the one that suggested this, and if I wanted to complain about something which I do not. I can only complain to myself." She blinked a few times, and then smiled. He knew her a bit too well, maybe that was because every time she broke down was in front of him. She got up from her bed, he pushed himself up so that he was sitting. Following her every move with those deep blue eyes, she wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you, and I think right now you needed a hug." He chuckled and wrapped his around her as well.


    "Thank you," he replied. "Now jump into to your own bed, before Rycharde comes to check on us. I heard from Joshua that he does that at least twice." She chuckled, he indeed that but after Joshau told her this as well, she had asked Rycharde to stop with that. They were here to help, and him checking up on her would defeat the purpose. But she let go off him, and jumped into her own bed. Sleep overtook her rather quickly.

 Chapter 5

    A soft rustling woke him up, not that he was fast asleep or anything. Mychaell pushed himself off the mattress to see what was going on. Afraid that this one of Genevieve''s episodes, she was standing in front of the window. He slowly got up, and walked towards her. She was not going to jump, right? According to Rycharde this has never being an issue before, but he couldn''t be for sure. So he stood behind her, ready to grab her. But she didn''t do anything, just standing there looking at the stars.


    "Hello Meak, Alia. It is going better with me, I made some new friends. I am helping Rycharde getting his shit together." she said. Her voice was thick with sleep, and oddly enough, it didn''t sound like Genevieve at all. She stepped forward, and he wrapped his arms around her waist. She didn''t react to it, she didn''t jump, scream, nothing, which was strange. "It is my fault that you all are dead, it is my fault that I fell in love with Justin. That I trusted him, but I am going to do my best to make it all up to you." Again, this sounded like the Genevieve he knew. She sounded younger, her voice not filled with grieve and regret. That is the only way he could describe it, she leaned into him. Which again was a first. "I feel safe," he was glad that she said that. She turned towards him, he was not able to see her face clearly in the dark. But from what he could see, he knew that this was not a night terror. But she was not fully awake either, she buried her face in her shirt. "Safe," she repeated. She stepped away from the window, breaking free of his grip, and walked towards the bathroom. Sleepwalking, well that was a new development. He gazed upwards towards the stars, she was talking towards her adoptive parents. Maybe she believes that they were watching her from up there, and that is the reason why she hasn''t tried to jump during her episodes. She didn''t want them to see it. He was glad that her mind was wired in such a way, it takes away one of the many dangers inside this apartment. He turned away and strolled back towards his bed, laying down, his mind was still racing. Like it did before he heard Genevieve, he knew that he was not able to settle down until she herself lay down. The door of the bathroom opened up, and he heard her walking. But to his shock, she didn''t walk towards her own bed. No, she crawled into his and snuggled up to him. He knew that she wasn''t fully awake, and that this was her subcontantece at work. But still, after what she has being through, this was not something he was expecting. And there was no way that he was able to escape her grip and lay down in her bed. No, she had laid her head on his chests, her hands clutched his shirt. "Safe, comfortable." Wait a second, she leaned into his embrace, now she is laying on top of him. Repeating over and over the word ''safe'', maybe she felt at peace when he was near. He gazed towards the sleeping woman on his chest, her eyes were now closed, and her breathing was slow. He couldn''t see it any other way, he wrapped an arm around her and closed his own eyes. Letting sleep take him into his embrace as well, knowing full well that he got some explaining to do in the morning.


    ********


    The warm rays of the early morning sun woke him up, that was directly a hint that he was not in his own bed. The other hint was when he opened his own eyes and saw Genevieve still fast asleep on his chest. Snuggled against him, her hands were still clutching his shirt as if it was her last lifeline. It was her last lifeline in some way, he was here to keep her safe. So there is that. He smiled softly, his arm was wrapped around her to safeguard her. It was not the first time he saw her sleeping, it was also not the first time that she used him as a pillow. But this was the first time he wasn''t overcome with a sense of duty. He closed his eyes, and an image of her looking at him with her piercing blue eyes popped in his mind. The time that he saw her practice with the knife followed, she moved so beautifully as if it was some sort of dance. Her red waving hair following her every move as if it was a cape. Yes, he considered her beautiful, powerful and smart. He opened his eyes, just when Rycharde opened the door to check up on them. His stern eyes narrowed when he saw Genevieve laying in his arms, Mychaell motioned with his free arm that she was still asleep. Rycharde grumbled something under his breath, but closed the door when he left. But the sound of the closing door woke Genevieve up, and this peaceful and safe time together was at an end. First, she buried her face deeper in his shirt, which tickled slightly. But then those piercing blue eyes fluttered open. She was confused a first, but then when she realized that she was laying on top of him, again, she shot up.


    "First things first, this is mine bed." Mychaell said quickly. She looked at him and then around the room, he already could see the fear inside her eyes, the fear that she had another episode. "It was an episode, but not one where you were done something dangerous. You were sleepwalking last night, talking to Maek and Alia." He was not going to repeat her words, those were not for him to hear or say. She still looked a bit puzzled, then her gaze went to her hand which was supporting on his chest. She quickly withdrew, not realizing that she was supporting herself on that one arm. Mychaell''s eyes grew in surprise, at first the air was knocked out of his lungs. But then he realized that her lips were touching his. Really, was this really happening right now? Something like this only happened in those old movies Rycharde loved to watch. But now this was happening to him, to them. She didn''t move, he looked straight in her eyes. A mixture of panic, shame and something else was carved into them. She didn''t know what to do, something he could understand. A smile tucked on to his lips, he wrapped an arm around her and slowly pushed them into a turn. Soon she lay next to him, their lips were still touching, but now she was not laying on top of him. Which made the situation so uncomfortable. She moved her lips away, her cheeks were red.


    "Sorry about that," she said. "I didn''t know what happened there."


    "I do know what happened, and I do not mind." he replied, he wished that she would kiss him again. But he understood if she needed some more time. She was just out of an abusive relationship, one of the reasons why he was here. Tears appeared into her eyes.


    "Thank you, it is nice to make some kind of mistake and not being ridiculed for it." she said, and somewhere deep down he regretted the fact that Justin was dead. He would have loved to killed him, himself. "I am so scared that you turn to hate me,"


    "That would never happen, disappointed, maybe. But I will never hate you." he said. He placed softly his hand against her cheek, she leaned into it. Her eyes closed, and a tear escaped. Which he whipped away, and she smiled. Her lips formed the words ''thank you'', but she didn''t speak them out loud. He moved his face a bit closer towards her, and watched her every move. He would stop himself if she pulled away, or said something. Which she didn''t do. He pressed his lips onto hers and softly kissed her, he could feel her hesitation at first. But then she kissed him back, softly. But then she herself started to heat things up, maybe she craved more than a simple kiss. He only hoped that she wouldn''t regret it afterward. Her hands moved through his hair, over his back, all the way down. "Genevieve, is this really what you want?" he asked. She only nodded, this was going too fast. Maybe she believes that this was the only way to his heart, because this was the only way that Justin looked at her. "Genevieve, please stop for a split second. I want you, the wastelands know, that I want you. But I would kiss, huge, care for you if you kept me waiting. I am not Justin."


    "I know," she whispered. "I know that you are not him, I never felt so safe, not the first time I gave myself to him and especially not after we had sex. But by you, I do not know, I have the feeling that I can be vulnerable. Does that make any sense?" He nodded, it did. In so many ways, it made sense. "So be gentle with me."


    "Always, and please tell me if you change your mind. I will stop and take a cold shower," he said. She answered him by kissing him, he could tell what went on in her mind when she did this. He had given her all the power and she was taking it. She wanted to feel loved and desired, she wanted to feel safe. She wanted this and so much more, and he was going to give this all to her. And if it was in his power, he would give her even more.


    *******


    Genevieve couldn''t believe it, she looked at the sleeping Mychaell that lay next to her. He had given her all the power, every opportunity to nip this in the butt. But she didn''t stop him, it didn''t even cross her mind. She wanted this, she needed this. She needed to be in control, about something in her live. Her head was once again on his chest, she loved how his chest rose and fall. Once again, she felt completely safe, and at ease. She wanted to stay like this for a bit longer, but a knock landed upon the door. She quickly closed her eyes, hoping that who ever opened the door would think that she too was fast a sleep. The door opened, and a sigh became audible.


    "Genevieve, I know that you are awake. And do not think for a second that I do not know what the two of you have being doing under my roof." Rycharde said loudly, so loudly that it also woke up Mychaell as well. Shocked, he pushed himself upwards. The sheets fell from them, she quickly took them back, covering herself up again. "Sorry, but it is time for the two of you to get dressed. I will give you five seconds." He closed the door, and she glanced over towards Mychaell, who''s face was beet red. She started to chuckled slightly, and pushed the sheets from her. Mychaell quickly closed his eyes.


    "That is not necessary, you already have seen me naked." Genevieve said, and he opened his eyes and grinned playfully. She replicated his grin, upon her own face. They quickly got dressed, just in time because Rycharde barged in for a third time that day. Genevieve grabbed her hairbrush, and wanted to brush her hair. But Mychaell took the brush out of her hand, and he pushed her softly down on the small chair.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    "Let me," he said, and he softly brushed his hair. Again, she felt safe in his presence. Something that visibly surprised Rycharde, and her as well. But she let him be, and smiled when he lay down the brush on the vanity table.


    "Alright, it is time to get to work. We are already late," Mychaell said loudly enough so that Rycharde heard it as well.


    "You can say that again," Rycharde grumbled under his breath. They left her room and went to the apothecary. And she was smiling, from ear to ear. For the first time in three to four years.


    *******


    The day at the apothecary was peaceful, not a lot of costumers, and they had a lot of time to stack up their stock. Genevieve was once again making her various types of tea bags. The large order was picked up before she came in, so she was not able to see who ordered it. Jessica was sitting at the table, packing the various ointments in glass jars. She often looks up to watch the door, but when she does that it is always with the deer in headlights look. She was not comfortable at all.


    "Jessica, are you alright?" Genevieve asked. Jessica once again looked up, with the same look in her eyes. Genevieve shook her head, and knew that this was not a conversation they needed to have inside the store. "Jacob, I am going to grab some ginger. Jessica, I need a lot, so way don''t you help me?" Nobody said anything as they both entered the back, walked past the office of Mychaell and Rycharde, and entered the office with the bed. "Now sit down, and please tell me what is going on." Jessica still looked uncomfortable. "Jessica, you were willing to listen to my story. Let me do the same in return." But Jessica shook her head.


    "You have enough to deal with, you do not need my mess to add to that." Jessica replied, Genevieve rolled with her eyes.


    "Let me be the judge of that," she snapped back. "You are clearly aren''t comfortable, let me help you." She grabbed Jessica''s hands, who were shaking violently. Something that seemed to calm her down, all was it just a bit.


    "I was attacked yesterday, on my way to my house." Jessica said softly. Genevieve didn''t need to ask what that meant, she already guessed that this happened to Jessica in the past. Because she had picked up the signs that Genevieve gave them, and now it happened to her again. Which was enraging, and so unfair. Where Genevieve got back the power to decide, Jessica was once again robbed of it. Genevieve sat down next to her, she didn''t let go of Jessica''s hands.


    "I am so sorry, Jessica." Genevieve said. She wanted to tell her this and so much and more. But the words escaped her, and she knew that this was what all she could offer right now. Jessica started to tear up, and Genevieve motioned that she wanted to huge her. And Jessica nodded that she really wanted one, she wrapped her in a tight huge. Jessica broke down in tears, it was loud enough that Rycharde and Mychaell came to look what was going on. But it was not her place to fill them in, it was Jessica''s right to keep all of this to herself. But Vanessa came in, looking for Jessica.


    "Uhm, there is a costumer who wants to place a large order. And I do not know how to do that." Vanessa said.  Jessica calmed down a brief period of time. But there was panic in her eyes, afraid that this might be a man.


    "Should I go?" Genevieve asked, Jessica nodded slowly. She turned around, "Vanessa, why don''t you stay here with her."


    "Why can''t we stay?" Rycharde asked, Mychaell looked at Jessica and slowly nodded.


    "Because we are men, and Jessica doesn''t feel comfortable being around men for the foreseeable future." Mychaell said, Jessica nodded slowly to let him know that he was right about that. "That doesn''t mean that you are going home alone tonight. Genevieve inform Jacob that he needs to take Vanessa and Jessica home tonight, I will take over his night with you." She nodded, that might be for the best. She got up and was quickly replaced by Vanessa. Mychaell walked with her until she was at the storage area. "Do you got this?" She nodded, she had done this a lot when she helped her adoptive parents in the apothecary. He nodded, and she went back into the shop with a shit ton of ginger. There was only one customer inside the store and she gave him a polite smile.


    "Good afternoon, sir. I came to the understanding that you wanted to place a big order. So how can I help you?" She asked. The man however didn''t reply, he looked her up and down. He gave her a piece of paper, on it was the desired order. Another large amount of tea, for the end of the week. But that was not the only thing on the piece of paper. There was the logo of,


    Benevolence industries


    She shivered when she looked towards the man. She didn''t know this man, but the fact that he was not saying shit was not helping either. Instead, she put her smile back on and sighed.


    "This will not be a problem, let me give you a recite and I need you to sign it. And you can pick it up with said recite," she said. The part that the man needed to sign the recite was a lie. But she needed this man''s name, so she placed the order inside the computer and placed some kind of tablet that they use for the special orders on the counter. "Only your name would be fine, sir." she said. "Your full name, that is." The man probably didn''t see any problem with this and did as she said. He signed, she printed the recite, and he left the store. Derick was standing behind her when she turned around.


    "What was that all about?" he asked, so he knew also how to take a large order. So why didn''t he do it? He was probably busy with something else. She shot towards the ''we are open'' sign and turned it around and locked the door.


    "Back room now," she simply said. He nodded and got the other guys. She marched into the storage area into the back of the house. Which surprised Rycharde.


    "What is going on?" he asked. Genevieve placed the recite on his desk, pulled him away from the computer, and typed in the man''s name. "Genevieve?"  she turned around and looked at his worried face. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a second. The computer made the ping sound to inform her that he was done with the source. She quickly turned towards it and there it was once again.


    Benevolence industries


    "This is no longer a freaking coincidence." she murmured. "Mychaell, do you guys have a whiteboard of some kind?" she asked loud enough so that the others knew that she was serious. She could hear him run away, and there was one when she left the office with another stack of papers. He handed her a marker and she took it.


    Benevolence industries


    That was the first thing she wrote, and then placed all the pieces of papers to the board in a neat order. So that was easier to understand. The others behind her didn''t say anything.


    "Jessica, do you have a written conformation from the last tea order?" Genvieve asked.


    "No, I do not." she replied, so that was a shot in the dark. But she wrote it down with a qeustionmark under it. She simply didn''t want to rule it out. Two major tea orders in two days, it was posible but still. After that she turned around.


    "Sorry to keep you all waiting, but I wanted first to write this all down." She said, turning towards the board and took a few steps back.


    "Alright please explain to me, what is Benevolence industries?" Jacob asked. "I see it pop up all over this board, but what is it?" Genevieve closed her eyes and took a deep breath.


    "Benevolence industries, is a company that Justin used as a front of his evil operations. When that name popped up you knew that there was trouble," she explained. "The thing is that it currenlty pops up here, a bit to often to be on the comfortable side."


    "Alright it is indeed creepy, but what are you saying? That Justin might be still alive," Derick said, his voice was drenced with disbelieve. She almost didn''t want to admit it, but that was indeed what she was thinking. "With al due respect, Genevieve. But that is crazy. We were there, we have seen Benevolence. Nobody should survive that."


    "I did," she pointed out. "I by some mirical survived, only because Justin warned me about his plan. And before you say he was wounded." She pulled up her top to show him the scar. "So was I." Mychaell stepped towards her, and with his hand he covered the largest part of the scar. This morning he kissed it, but this was not the time nor place to think about that.


    "You are right there is a small chance that he is still breathing air," he said.


    "Next imposible." Derick pointed out.


    "But there is still a chance, mister Know it all." Mychaell snapped. "She already has being through this, she knows how he operates. So I trust her judgement. Are there other explenations that explains what is going on, yes. But this is still a posibility." Derick shook his head in disbelieve. But he said nothing more, he just left the back of the house and went back towards the apothecary to finish up his work. Genevieve closed her eyes when he slammed the door.


    "I am sorry Genevieve, but this sound a bit far reached." Jessica said, Genevieve turned around and saw that the others including Rycharde was nodding in agreement. "It is not that I do not want to believe, but." she didn''t make eye contact with Genevieve. "I desperatlly want him to be dead, because of what he did to you." Genevieve knew where she was coming from, she wanted the same thing for her. She once again looked at the whiteboard.


    "You know what, I want to be wrong. I desperatlly want to be wrong," she said and she turned around.  She knew that this was the hardest thing she has ever done. "But until I know for sure that I am wrong, I am going to distance yourself from you all. Because the last time he took pleasure in hurting the people I love, to hurt me. And I do not want to go through that again." She looked her friends, which friendships were just at the start. But Justin will not see it that way. He sees things black and white, and he would hurt them if this meant getting her as well. "So from today, I will be no longer be at owrk inside the apothecary. I will make the tea bags for the order but that will be it. I am going to focus my attention and time here, at the back of the house. To help the Freedom Fighters where ever I can, this also means no more watching me for episodes."


    "I will keep on watching you," Mychaell said. "Justin doesn''t scare me. And I am not going to put you in mortal danger, because of him." She smiled and lowered her head.


    "Then I have to warn you, that I am going to try to push you away. And that is for all of you," she looked at each face before she continued. "And do not think I am going to be suitle about it either. Rycharde I am going to make you rethink the fact that you offered me a place to stay. Mychaell, I am going to push you towards the limit as well. You all might hate me for this, at the end of the day. But I have to do this, to keep you all save." she walked into an empty office, alright empty it was filled with junk. She didn''t mind the work to clean in out to make space for her, and a gun practice area. Although Rycharde owned a gun, he doesn''t like having it. But he hasn''t found a reason to get rid of the gun. Not, that her trying to hurt herself was reason enough. But she was going to use this gun to practice with, until she was able to buy one her own. None of them helped her, or she didn''t notice it. Which was fine buy her, because this gave her time to procces everything that happened and was about to happen.

 Chapter 6

    Genevieve was sitting at her desk, inside the lonely office she has created for herself. She has taken over the task of reviewing assignments and give them to the Freedom fighters. While also training with a gun in her spare time, and running background checks of almost everyone inside the city. She has shadowed people, gone on dangerous assignments for the Freedom fighters together with Mychaell. Hoping that this pulled Justin''s attention from the others on to her.


    "Hey, Genevieve." Vanessa entered her office. "I have the file of my last mission, and my findings." Genevieve said nothing, she just pointed towards the ''I am done cabinet'' inside her office. "Sure got it, no more small talk from you, but do you have another assignment for me?" she asked.


    "Yes, I have. Here it is, I am sorry to say that is similar than the one you just finished." Genevieve said, while giving Vanessa the file. Vanessa groaned loudly.


    "Another scouting mission, I have done these a lot the last couple of weeks." Vanessa replied, Genevieve nodded but still gave the file to Vanessa, who took it and left the office in a huff. Genevieve took a deep breath and lower her head. She hated this, more than she could say. She opened the drawer inside her desk, where she held Rycharde''s old gun. Mychaell came in when she stood up, to practice shouting. Something he has seen her do on multiple occasions, so he didn''t question that anymore. What he did know was that she never took it out during the day, unless she was upset.


    "Is this really what you want?" he asked her, he has asked her this a few times before. And every time she replied with a simple nod. But this time she shock her head, because there was no point in lying. "But do you really believe that this is needed to keep them safe?" This time she nodded, she really believed that this was the only way to do this.


    "Pushing them towards the point that they will talk shit behind my back in public, so that a lot of people can hear them. It is what I believe the best way to go about this, and I hate it." She said, while putting up ear protectors. He did the same thing, she aimed at the target and started to shoot. This gun was a bit on the heavier side, but she had learned how to shoot with it, pretty quickly. She emptied the barrel, and sighed. "I only need a lighter one, one that I can easily hide under my clothes. But I also need to practice with the other weapons, and simple martial arts will not hurt either." She pointed at the whiteboard that was now mounted on her wall, it had grown in the last couple of hours. "Every time I go on a mission, every time I look someone up. That cursed company pops up, and I can''t take it." She turned towards him and sighed. "Are you still going out for drinks with the rest of the crew?" He nodded and she smiled softly.


    "And you are going on another scouting mission of yours. Gen, please tell me, what do you hope to find?" he asked. She closed her eyes and wrapped her own arms around her.


    "A sliver of hope, that I am wrong and that Justin is really dead." she whispered. "A sign to tell me that I can stop." She felt his arms wrap around hers. She leaned into him, absorbing his warmth and love. "That this all is part of my paranoia, another fever dream or episode." Mychaell turned her slowly around and then cupped her face with his hand.


    "I have faith in you, to do the right thing. But please, the next time when I ask if you are alright, answer truthfully. Just like you did right now," he said. So he had noticed that she didn''t do that before, which means that the knew her so well. She covered his hand with hers, and turned her head slightly and pressed her lips on the palm. She couldn''t promise him that at all, but she will do her best. He was the one who has her heart, and this is how she showed him that. "I see," he sounded hurt. And she knew that this would happen.


    "I am sorry," she whispered. "I want to promise you, that I would never lie to you again. I want to promise that and so much more. But I can''t. All I can tell you is that I am scared out of my mind, and that you bring some calmness into my life." He smiled softly, the hurt expression was gone. He knew that she had spoken from her heart, she knew that he knew that. He placed his finger under her chin, pushed her head slightly up, and kissed her softly on the lips. She gave into the kiss, wrapped her arms around his neck. Hoping that this moment wouldn''t stop or fade into oblivion. But a knock on the wooden door frame interrupted them.


    "Sorry, to bother the two of you," it was Derick. "But I am here to turn in my paperwork, and I suspect that you have another easy mission in store for me." Genevieve pushed herself off Mychaell and closed her eyes. She didn''t want to, but that was not important right now. "Figures, I really hope that this is all worth it in the end." He placed his file in the right cabinet, and walked over to her desk. "But let me make this loud and clear, I know that you have suffered under that monster''s hands. But you are doing now the same thing to us, and I consider that as the highest betrayal." He grabbed the file with his name on it. "Again, I hope it was worth it. Mychaell, we will leave in five minutes, with or without you." Derick left the office, and once again she felt empty.


    "He is just angry about those assignments, and I have to say. You are really giving them the easy once, and you have given none to Jessica." he said, and she nodded. That was intentional, she was attacked by someone only a couple of weeks ago. And again, she hoped with all her heart that this attack was unrelated to all of this. But then again, she couldn''t take that risk.


    "It is fine, he already made it clear that he doesn''t believe me. So I do not take his comments to heart," she said. That was a lie, and she could see from the way he looked at her that, he knew that as well. "You should go, I will be fine." She placed something in the pocket of his pants, a small recording device. What in the name of the wasteland was she thinking, spying on him and the others like that? She hated herself for doing this, and the words of Derick echoed in her mind.


    "I hope it was worth it."


    Mychaell left her office and she followed behind him, grabbing some clothing from the locker room. All of it was black with hidden spaces for her to place her weapons in. Hoping that she didn''t need them tonight, hoping that the one that she was going to shadow today didn''t notice her at all.


    "Be careful out there," Mychaell said, she wanted to promise him that she would. But she knew that this might not be a promise that she was able to keep.


    "I will try," she promised him instead. Which was the closest thing. He nodded and left the back of the house, through the front door. And she did the same thing, but then at the back.


    *******


    The streets of Maraud were well light, but gave enough room for the dark. Not like what she was used to in Benevolence, with all the neon lights that light up every corner. If you didn''t count the dark alleyways, the place where she loved to roam when she wanted to be alone. The place that she was needed to hide herself for human traffickers, the place where she found a new family. Only this time she wasn''t roaming the alleyways for Benevolence, this was Maraud, and she needed to be careful. Because she was not the only one who used these dark streets, she already needed to hide several times in small corners and sideways. Thanking each lucky star that the one that she was ghosting, didn''t see her. The man, finally stopped at the end of the alleyway. A place that bled out into an open area, and he was not alone. There were two other man waiting for him.


    "Are you sure that you haven''t being followed," the man in black with a mask asked. His voice made her blood run cold, it was the same one that hunted her dreams.


    "I am pretty sure of it, mister Benevolence." the scumbag, she knew as Mister Dixton, replied. The man in the mask looked over mister Dixton''s shoulder and nodded.


    "Good," the man in the mask said. Genevieve made herself as small as possible inside the nook that was close to the open area. It was conveniently light by a single lantern that didn''t give much light at all. It was also a night with a new moon, so not much light from that thing either. Which she had used in her advantage, and this guy inside the mask did the same thing. "Report." the man''s voice was cool, collected, and once again it made her blood run cold. It was so similar to Justin''s voice, and how he loved to speak to someone that disappointed him. Which most of the time it was her on the receiving end. Mister Dixton didn''t seem to notice, however, and started to report the latest developments. She was clever enough to have the same recording device with her, as the one she placed into Mychaell''s pocket. So that she could analysis what he said later. The man in the mask only nodded from time to time, but his whole posture seemed off in Genevieve''s eyes. As if, he pretended to listen, again something that Mister Dixton didn''t seem to notice. She now wished that she had taken a video recording device, but that one was much bigger and easier to notice. "Well done, Mister Dixton, well done. You have been a valuable asset." the man in the mask stepped forward. Genevieve''s heart started to beat faster. She was now able to see the man''s eyes, who were resting on her. Cold gray, emotionless, eyes. Justin''s eyes, he was alive. He was alive, inside the city, and he had seen her. Justin lay a hand on Mister Dixton''s shoulder. "But you were being followed." And with one swoop, slight Mister Dixton''s throat. Genevieve got up and started to run away. "Run, Genevieve, run. You know that is useless, because I have you where I wanted." She stopped the voice recorder, and tears welled up in her eyes as she ran away from the man she feared more than live. She kept on running, until she was at home inside the apartment. She closed every lock there was on the front door and let herself slip against it. Knowing full well that those locks wouldn''t stop him at all. She kept the recorder close at hand, while the tears streamed freely down her cheeks.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ******


    The bar was decently filled when their crew entered, Joshua directly ordered some drinks for the whole table, inside a private booth from which they could shut the door. And they sat down at their regular table, Jessica was flanked between Richard and Jacob. While Vanessa went to help Joshua with the drinks, he sat down with a sigh. It hadn''t taken him long before he had found the recording device, he hadn''t even come out of the storage room. But he knew that she had her reasons, or he hoped that she had. He hated to see her so worked up like this, although he might not believe her fully. He knows one thing for sure, she was genuinely scared. And not for her own safety, but that of the people that were currently sitting at this table. Derick took place next to him, and groaned.


    "Man, I have being waiting for a nice drink all day. That whole assignment thing is bumming me out, to be honest." Joshua, who entered, shot the door behind him. When he heard what Derick had said. "I really can''t stand that I am getting assignments that are too easy. Where is all the fun stuff?" Derick took a sip of his drink. Vanessa sighed.


    "I have to agree with you there," she said. But then quickly looked up. "I am so sorry, Mychaell. I know that she is dealing with a lot. But giving us these easy assignments, or in Jessica''s case not giving her assignments at all. And this all because she believes that Justin is still alive."


    "Which, I will say it again, is not possible." Derick said.


    "And how do you know that for sure," Mychaell snapped back. He was done with Derick''s attitude. "I know that this is not an easy thing to swallow, and that there is no proof saying otherwise. But do you know what Genevieve has being doing all this time." Derick shook his head, so did the others. "Looking in every nook and cranny, in the hope that you are right and Justin is indeed dead. But up until now, she hasn''t found anything to prove to her otherwise. Even now, she is looking for clues." He then looked at Jessica. "Although she hasn''t said anything, I believe she suspects that your resent attack has something to do with it as well. That is why she is not given you any assignments." Jessica gasped for air and he lowered his head. "She is scared out of her mind that, if she believes it is true, that something might happen to us. She has told us this when this all started, she is keeping you all at arms length. She even tries her best to push me and Rycharde away." Rycharde nodded in agreement. Derick growled.


    "You are only saying that because you are banging her," he said, Joshua quickly jumped towards Mychaell to hold him back. Otherwise, he had punched Derick. Which he deserves.


    "You know what Derick, for a smart guy you are acting rather stupid." Mychaell said, he drank up his drink and stood up. "I am leaving." He tossed some cash upon the table. Jessica narrowed her eyes to Derick. But he simply shrugged, Mychaell didn''t hear anything else that was said because he stormed out. He was quickly followed by Rycharde. "Why did you leave?" Mychaell asked, and Rycharde sighed.


    "Because you are right, she has being doing nothing but looking for proof. And everywhere she turns she comes up empty-handed, if this is not Justin, then there is another person like him at large inside our city. And I do not know what is worse." Rycharde said, and Mychaell agreed with him there. The entered the apartment complex, but when they tried to open the door, it wouldn''t butch. "Genevieve, are you home?" Rycharde asked, and the door swung open. Genevieve rushed out into the hallway into first Rycharde''s arms and then his. She was shaking, her hands were bleeding, so was her lip. Her cheeks and pants were wet from her tears, what in the world had happened to her. But he already knew, she had found the proof she was looking for and from her reaction it was as she had feared all along. Justin was alive, and inside this city, pulling the strings. Mychaell couldn''t describe the powerless he was feeling at the moment, all he could do right now was wrap her into a tight huge. And sharing a brief glance with Rycharde, who nodded he knew what this meant too. He started to curse, while he looked at Genevieve in defeat.


    "Alright, let us take this inside. And you can share with us what you have found." Rycharde said. Genevieve nodded and let go of Mychaell, she looked like she could break at any moment. Which was not comforting at all. Still she walked into the apartment, a laptop was sitting on the dining table, it had a small recording device linked to it. How many did she have? That was not important right now, he just put his hand inside his pocket and handed it to her.


    "I believe that this one is also yours," he said. She nodded, took it, but walked towards the laptop. She pressed onto a button, and the voice of Mister Dixton made it over the speakers. Telling someone about a bunch of illegal stuff. But then there was a second voice, and that made all the color in Rycharde''s face vanish. Justin''s voice, telling Mister Dixton how valuable he was. But that he was indeed followed. Then there was Genevieve''s frantic gasping, she was running away from the scene.


    "Run, Genevieve, run. You know that is useless, because I have you where I wanted."


    Then the audio was cut off. Rycharde let out a stream of curses, and Mychaell once again wrapped Genevieve into a tight hug. No wonder that she was scared, he was not only alive, he had seen her.


    "I have you where I wanted."


    That alone sent shivers down his spine. He was paying attention to their every move, he was still playing with her, like a cat would play with a mouse. He probably also had men inside that bar, waiting to see what would go on in there. And he hoped with all his being that they didn''t disappoint.


    "Uhm, do not listen to the other recording tonight." He said. "Derick was being a dick, and I do not want you to hear what he had said. At least, not now. Maybe tomorrow." She nodded and leaned into him. Seeking for some kind of comfort. Mychaell only hoped that he was able to provide it for her. "Lets, get you under the shower and into bed." he slowly guided her away from the laptop and the still softly raging Rycharde. Mychaell slowly helped her undress, and he also undressed himself. He wanted to be close to her, just in case she breaks down and needed him. The water was calming, and washed away all the blood from her skin. She indeed broke down, and sobbed all the way through the shower. He embraced her and didn''t let go of her, the entire time that she sobbed. After that, he dried her and himself off with a towel. Helped her into a night gown, while he put on some sweatpants. She fell asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow, still in her sleep she snuggled against him. Once again, holding on to him tight. He didn''t mind it, he will never mind it. Not from her. Rycharde entered the room and softly walked over to them.


    "Is she asleep?" he asked, Mychaell replied with a simple nod. "Good, I am glad that she feels safe with you. But when did you figure out that she placed a recording device on you?"


    "Before we left for the bar," Mychaell replied. "I just figured that she had a very good reason for it. Maybe to see what the others really thought of her, and boy if that is the case they didn''t disappoint. Not that I can blame them, I barely believed it myself. But I knew one thing for sure, and that was that she was scared out of her mind." Rycharde pressed his lips tight, clearly not happy that she felt the need to eavesdrop onto their conversation. But he didn''t say anything about it. "How do you feel? About Justin being still alive and such."


    "I honestly do not know, he is my son. But I do not recognize the man that he has become." Rycharde said. "He killed my sister, my sweet sister. He did hurt Genevieve, in more ways than I thought humanly possible. He destroyed the city I entrusted him with." Mychaell indeed could understand the anger, but also the confusion. Because no matter how he looked at it, this man was still Rycharde''s son. "I need to sleep on it, rest well, Mychaell. The wasteland knows you are going to need it in the morning."  He left after that. Mychaell then looked at the sleeping Genevieve, he indeed needed all the rest that he was able to get. She needed him after all, with this in mind he drifted off.

 Chapter 7 part 1

    Genevieve knew that she would find her head upon Mychaell''s chest. She did that the last couple of weeks, what however did surprised her is calmness. Back when she shared a bed with Justin, she never felt relaxed when she woke up, never able to breathe freely. And she couldn''t leave the bed before he woke up either, not even to go to the bathroom. But with Mychaell she didn''t want to leave, alright maybe a quick run to the bathroom and back. But that was about it, she wanted to lay next to him, wake up next to him. Even when they just slept, nothing romantic or other stuff, just sleeping next to each other. Feeling each other''s warmth, maybe steal a kiss or two. Her hand went slowly towards his face, there was a slight stubble on his chin. His noise was slightly crooked, maybe somebody had broken it. Why didn''t she see that before? Because she was too busy with surviving, after what happened yesterday, she could start fighting. Yes, her worst nightmare has become a reality, she was still not done with Justin. Or rather, he was still not done with her. But now that she knows, it in some ways set her free. She touched the tip of his nose, he looked so young when he was asleep. Her finger went over his lips, stubble chin and then down to his chest.


    "If you keep on doing that, there is no way to tell what would happen." his voice was still thick of sleep. And his eyes didn''t even open up, but she chuckled slightly. He was already thinking unsavory thoughts, and now so was she. She raised her hand up and again touched his nose. She let it slide down the same path, as before. He groaned slightly, she again chuckled as he grabbed her hand. "Genevieve, what in the wasteland..." She planted a kiss on his lips so that he couldn''t finish that sentence. Her kiss didn''t leave much room for questions, she wanted him. She wanted him so badly, it drove her crazy. She never wanted Justin, so badly as she wanted him. With Justin, it was always about him, at first she wanted to cheer him up after Rycharde left them. But after that it was always because he wanted it, and he refused her a couple of times when she wanted it. But with Mychaell, it was always because they both wanted it. He kissed her back with the same passion, he let go of her hand and let it roam freely over her body. Through the red hair, he pulled her onto him. So that she was on top, that was something that Justin never wanted. But Mychaell was not Justin, he was Mychaell, and she loved him with all her heart.


    ********


    They were sitting at the dinner table, listing to the recording of the crew at the bar. Together, Rycharde was already gone before they got out of bed.


    "You are only saying that because you are banging her."


    Derick was right about Mychaell sleeping with her, but to say it like that. Well, it hurt a little, she knew that he was the smartest member of the Freedom Fighter. So for him to act this way was a bit out of character for him. Mychaell and the other men had told her that Derick used to defended her against harsh words from them. So she was not able to see why it was he who reacted this strongly against her. It didn''t make sense, did he do this on purpose, was he playing to be this ignorant? But why doesn''t he share this much with the others, with her. Although either way, he was playing the part of someone who had turned on her. So at least he was safe.


    "Although she hasn''t said anything, I believe she suspects that your resent attack has something to do with it as well."


    She didn''t need to ask who he said these words too, Jessica. And he was right about that, she was indeed suspecting that the two things were linked. It might not be Justin himself that had done it. But it could be someone that is working for him. She really didn''t know, and although she was dying to kill the person who did that.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    She hoped that it wasn''t him, and that Jessica, and she, didn''t have to face the same attacker. Mychaell pressed his lips together until they were colorless. She placed a hand against his cheek, and that calmed him a little.


    "May I ask why you did it?" he asked, and she nodded.


    "I needed to know how far I could go with them, before they would break. I knew that they wouldn''t tell me that face to face." She explained, and she sighed. "But I realize now that they haven''t broken their complete trust in me, because of you." She slammed her fist on the table. "Derick was right yesterday, I am doing all the same things to you all, what Justin did to my last team and me. I do not know if I am able to look them in the eyes, after all is said and done."


    "Derick is being a dick at the moment, and I have to say that I do not understand him at all. But I hate that you feel that way. Maybe if they hear the recording you made yesterday..."


    "No," she cut him off. "I do not want them to change their minds about me. Not now we know that it is Justin, he will kill them. I rather have them hate me, then having them killed off because of me." He looked a bit stunned at first, but then he came back to his senses. "I already have to worry about you, maybe Rycharde and that is all I can handle right now. This morning, when I woke up next to you, I realized something."


    "And what was that?" he asked.


    "I have being in survival mode, ever since I came here. First, I needed to deal with Justin''s ghost. Then I needed to figure out if it was not only his ghost hunting me. And now that I have figured it all out, I am able to fight back, to plan my next step. I am able to live breath, enjoy the moment." She explained, and his grin widened with every sentence. She grinned back and got up from her seat. Placing a hand on his shoulder, holding her underlip with her front teeth. The grin on his face faded slightly, and turned into confusion. "I also realized something else," she bowed towards his ear and whispered something in it. Able to jump back, just in time, to run away from him. Some high-pitched sounds of pure joy were escaping her throat. Quickly, she ran towards her bedroom, before he was able to catch her. Yes, this was really something else.


    *******


    She once again woke up, next to Mychaell. Smiling from ear to ear, this was her personal paradise. And nobody... Someone cleared his throat, she quickly turned around and let out a terrifying scream. Which in turn woke up Mychaell, Justin was standing at the window. Pointing a gun at them.


    "Good morning, or is it good afternoon already." Justin said, his voice was once again cool and collected. "You know I wished I came a bit earlier, then I would have joined the two of you. I know how much you sometimes wanted my dick." His gun switched towards her, knowing full well that this would prevent Mychaell from doing anything. And she hated to admit that it prevented her from doing something as well. Rycharde didn''t want her to have the gun inside her room, and her other weapons are inside the bathroom. Still neatly tucked away inside her clothing. "What a shame that you saw right through me, but I should have known better. After all, I am the one that trained you. But now that you know that I am here in town, I can move more plainly. After all, that weak excuse of Freedom Fighters inside this city is not going to stop me. The only two decent once are currently right in front of me. Naked, and without any weapons." Justin simply shrugged. "There is nothing stopping me from killing the two of you here and now. " Her door was kicked open and Rycharde stepped in. Gun aiming at Justin.


    "Well, then I am nothing." he snapped. And he opened fire, but Justin just jumped out of the window. Rycharde rushed towards it. "Jumping rope, that boy is too smart." He then turned towards them. "Oh, well, I didn''t need to see that." He quickly glanced at the floor, placing his free hand in front of his eyes. "I can see that he caught the two of you off guard." she quickly covered herself with her blanket, and Mychaell did the same thing.


    "Really, I would have never guessed that." Genevieve replied. "Now get out of the room, I want to get dressed." Rycharde rushed out, but let the door slightly ajar. So that he can be alerted if there is any more trouble. Genevieve jumped out of the bed. "Well, that was the last time I slept in this bed."


    "That is for sure," Mychaell replied.


    *******

 Chapter 7 part 2

    Joshua walked towards the back of the house, his finished mission file in hand. He had taken his sweet time to complete the mission. And he was really curious to see what Genevieve would assign him next. He wouldn''t mind if this was another easy task, he really was not complaining like the others were. He didn''t see the point in doing so, Genevieve has made it clear that she was doing this to protect them and if this meant doing simple tasks, he would do that. Joshua really couldn''t understand why Derick and the others were so hard on her. Alright, everyone except Jessica, because she was somehow glad that she didn''t have to go out on a mission. The attack, did really a number on her, and he agreed with Mychaell, if that bastard was really alive he wouldn''t past him. He had done that and worse things to Genevieve, so it shouldn''t shock him at all. The muffled sound of gun shots, echoed through the space. Genevieve was letting off steam, something that happened from time to time. Mychaell wasn''t sitting at his desk, so he was probably in Genevieve''s office. Which was not strange at all, again his fried was really protective of Genevieve. The same way he was about Jessica, not that she noticed that he was. But that was fine by him. He waited by the closed door, until the gunshot halted, then he knocked.


    "Come in," That was Mychaell, and Joshua did just that.


    "Hey, sorry, but I am just here to deliver my completed mission file." He said while holding up the file. As he walked over to the designated spot. "I know where to put it. And I wondered if you have another one for me?" He placed it on top, and turned around. It was then that he noticed the suitcases, and the bed inside the office. Did the two of them move in here? Which was not something he was going to ask out loud, it was simply none of his business. Genevieve shook her head, and he simply nodded. "Alright, that gives me some time to help Jessica out inside the store." He already made his way towards the door.


    "Wait, that is it? No protest, no questions?" Mychaell asked in surprise, Joshua nodded.


    "Yes, I am not going to bother. I know that you two have a pretty good reason for all of this, and I am not going to argue. I even took my time to complete the previous mission, so that I do not become a bother to Genevieve. This gives me some time with Jessica, because shocker, I do believe that there is something going on and that something might indeed be connected to her attack." Mychaell glanced over to Genevieve, who almost looked relieved. "Do not worry about her, because I will." He focused that towards Genevieve. Mychaell chuckled slightly, and Joshua narrowed his eyes. Not sure what could be so funny.


    "I didn''t know that you were in love with her," Mychaell finally was able to say. And Joshua simply shrugged, in his mind it was not a secret. Not that he ever said it out loud.


    "Yes, but she clearly doesn''t feel the same way about me. Let''s not make it into a bigger deal, then it has to be." Mychaell stopped with laughing, and directly looked serious. Genevieve looked at him with a soft smile, the first one he has seen from her in months. Maybe this was because he was not bugging her, all the time. And this was something innocent, him just admitting that he liked a girl. "Well, I see the two of you later." He now really walked out of the office, he didn''t even stop when Mychaell called him.


    ********


    The store was closed, and Joshua was waiting for Jessica to finish her work. Vanessa already left for some kind of mission, she didn''t get into too much detail and Joshua didn''t ask. Derick only made a growling face when he shared that there was no new mission for him. He was still not sure what his deal was, Derick has always been the smartest of them all. But lately he was acting quite ignorant, something that didn''t suite him at all. Maybe it was all an act, because that would be the only reasonable explanation.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    "Alright, I am ready." Jessica said, waking him up from his thoughts. "Ohh, where did Vanessa go?" Which was a slight punch in the gut, but he understood that she was not comfortable with only him.


    "She had a mission," he responded. But then her face light up, was she glad that Vanessa wouldn''t join them? Talking about mixed signals. He right now was not sure what to make of this, but he was going to roll with it. They just left the store, side by side, normally he would walk behind the two girls. Normally he wouldn''t dare to walk so closely to Jessica. He was just scared that this would give her flashbacks, or other uncomfortable feelings. But she herself adjusted her pace to match his, which was already strange. They arrived at her house, he was about to leave the place, when she grabbed his hand.


    "Do you want something to drink? Normally, Vanessa and I would sit and talk for a bit."


    He looked at her hand wrapped in his, a feeling that he normally kept at bay rushed through his veins. She never indicated that she had feeling for him, so he shouldn''t put words in her mouth, or feelings inside her heart.


    "But I am not..."


    "Please," she asked, her head slightly tilted towards the side. Her golden hair that was kept to that inside a ponytail moved with it, her amber eyes pleaded with him. One drink, what harm could one drink do? As long as it was none alcoholic, then he would be fine. Right?


    "Why not," he replied. And they entered her apartment together, he has being here so many times before. Jessica loved to host meals, before all of this went down. And in many ways it felt like he was coming home, the plants crowding the window. The floral scent diffuser that was standing on the coffee table, and at various places throughout the house. The small kitchen, the large diner table filled with all kinds of crafting material. Another hobby of Jessica, and he chuckled when he saw the mess. She quickly rushed towards the kitchen. "Just some tea." He said before she was able to ask him what he wanted to drink. She nodded and placed the kettle on the stove. It didn''t take long for the water to boil, she handed him his cup of tea. As he looked at her latest creations. Which was something made out of clay. "Looks good."


    "It is not yet finished." She responded, but that didn''t matter to him. It was made by her, so it looked good. She took a sip of her tea, and then took a deep breath. "So, what do you think about the whole Justin situation?" He was taken aback by her sudden question. "I have noticed that you haven''t voiced it openly, like someone else we know." He nodded, he hasn''t voiced it, apart in front of Genevieve and Mychaell earlier that day. But now in front of Jessica, he became a little nervous. Not that he was going to lie to her, but what she would think of him afterward.


    "Alright, I believe Genevieve. There are freaking too many ''coincidence'', to be just that. And I really do not mind the lengths she is going through to keep us safe. I for my part, have taken it upon myself to make myself as unimportant as possible. Taking my time, on completing missions and not making a fuss about how easy they are." He explained, she nodded. But that was not all. "I also have seen some people shadowing me, while I was taking my sweet time. I have seen them also in and around the shop, we are being watched. Also, if Mychaell is right, and that bastard is responsible for what happened to you. Well let say that I would do my best of killing him, if Genevieve, or Mychaell do not get to him first." She smiled softly at him.


    "Ohh would you?" she asked and he nodded.


    "I would kill every bastard that hurt you, because nobody deserves to live through that kind of hell. Especially not you, with your kind heart." he said. The smile faded slightly, but that was just for a split second. She grabbed his mug out of his hands, placed it on the table together with her own, and then kissed him. He was shocked at first, but he didn''t fight her, instead he kissed her back.